Another angle to having the Ascians involved in the plot that is almost too obvious is Galuf's adventure. We know that one of the lynchpins of the initial effort to go to Tural in the first place is that Krile is looking for info on her grandfather Galuf and what he was doing in Tural with Galool Ja Ja that leads to the unification and founding of Tuliyollal - and possibly write to him asking for aid. We know Galuf led the Students of Baldesion and that their organization along with the Isle of Val was wiped out by Emmeroloth with that whole Eureka business. But the Ascians' modus operandi was plotting to cause crisis for heroes to stop. So the MSQ will give at least one flashback explanation if not more of what happened all those years ago, likely involving defeating an Ascian. A different one or the same that later destroys the Isle of Val as revenge. Which thematically places the Ascian threat in the past already defeated along with the rest of the H/Z saga whereas the threat of this new arc and the future is something fresh but probably has at least some roots in said flashbacks, but nothing that places the Ascians outside of an Echo flashback.